Brightwheel Raises $2.2 Million to Deliver Groundbreaking Mobile Platform for Early Education

The first free mobile platform for early education provides time-saving tools for teachers and gives parents a real-time window into their child’s day.

San Francisco, CA (June 17, 2015) – Brightwheel, an innovative mobile platform for preschools and daycares, announced today it raised $2.2 million in seed funding. The investment round was led by RRE Ventures and Eniac Ventures with participation from CrossLink Capital, Golden Venture Partners, Red Swan Ventures, and Sherpa Ventures.

Brightwheel is the first free and easy-to-use mobile SAAS platform for early education providers, including daycare, preschool, and afterschool programs. Through the Brightwheel ecosystem, teachers can easily track attendance, record observations, share photos and notes, and gain insights into daily activities – while administrators can manage across classrooms and send paperless, automated invoices for school tuition. For parents, it provides a real-time connection with their child throughout the day. The platform is free for both schools and families.

In conjunction with the funding announcement, Brightwheel today is releasing brand new apps for iOS and Android, as well as a new automated billing platform that makes school payments a breeze.

Brightwheel founder and CEO, Dave Vasen, who has led education initiatives for AltSchool, Amazon Kindle, and Teach for America, is a parent who experienced firsthand the challenges of early education when his daughter was born.

From the parent side, it’s gut-wrenching to be away from your little one all day, but it’s even harder when you don’t know what’s going on or how best to continue the learning at home,” said Vasen. “And from the school side, administrators and teachers face long hours, stringent legal requirements, a ton of paperwork, and frankly no good tools to help them. Brightwheel makes early education easier for teachers and more engaging for families.”

While 64% of American adults have a smartphone and the childcare market is $45 billion, there has been a lack of innovation in using technology to improve early childhood education. Brightwheel aims to address a real need by providing early educators with better technology and tools.

Community: Grandparents, nannies, and friends can all participate – with unique settings for each.

Founded in 2014, Brightwheel is actively being used by schools and daycares of all sizes across the United States.

Brightwheel is just amazing. It’s everything I need to run my school and business, right in my hand,” said Shannon Tunt, Founder and Lead Teacher at The Learning Brook Academy in Acworth, Georgia. “Not only are families impressed with the real-time updates, but more importantly, it gives me back a lot of time I get to spend where it matters most – with the kids.”

Brightwheel is the first mobile platform for early education. Through a comprehensive, integrated set of tools, it makes life easier for teachers and helps parents better engage with their child’s development. The team is comprised of world-class innovators that worked tirelessly with teachers, administrators, and parents to develop a seamless experience that tracks core activities and facilitates easy communication and billing. For additional information, visit: www.mybrightwheel.com.